Pool Fun!

My assistant gave us a "pop-up" pool. It is 30 inches deep and about 12 feet in diameter. It has been the greatest gift. Peter has been in it everyday and Jeff and I even enjoy cooling off in it as well. Peter has taken off swimming. I can thank the YMCA for teaching him. He swims well underwater and blows bubbles, and reaches and pulls to get across the pool. There is also something to say about the background for our pool, see for yourself.

Dutch Wonderland

Peter had a dentist appointment so Jeff took off from work to accompany us to the dentist, as this was his first real appointment. We capitalized on the day and made plans to visit Dutch Wonderland. It was a very affordable, family-friendly place. We didn't have to wait in any lines! We went on a very hot day, so most of the patrons were in the water park area. During our visit we got hit with some very severe thunderstorms. The policy at Dutch Wonderland is to issue rain passes. So we get to go back again this summer. When we arrived back home, we didn't have power. This lasted for almost 7 hours. Because of the heat, Jeff and Peter stayed in the pool unitl 9:00 PM, way past Peter's bedtime.

Long Pond Park

Peter and I initially were planning on heading to the Smithsonian for our first day of summer vacation. We had planned on going to see the Natural history museum, specifically the dinosaurs. However, hitching a ride to DC with Jeff requires going to bed before 9:00 PM. Since we didn't go, I arranged to go to a park. We went on a road trip to Lancaster County to Long Pond Park. It had a petting zoo, a pond, and of course several playgrounds. Peter had a great first day of summer.

BBQ

Jeff and I love where we live so much that we are anxious to share this amazing place with anyone who wants to visit. I organized a BBQ with my father's childhood friends, Eddie and Trish (Lauren's parents) and Rich and Jeanette, and their daughter Adrienne. It was a great time. Eddie and his dog Riley, enjoyed a relaxing time in the hammock. My parents had a great time too.

POCONOS

Lauren invited us up to her Aunt's Pocono home for Memorial Day weekend. We headed out of here on Saturday morning and made it up the mountains in about 2 hours. Peter was excited to see Lauren and "her vacation house". We went canoeing, played with the dogs in the lake, took the dogs to the dog park, had a BBQ with Lauren's parents, and even squeezed in some yard sales. Jeff really found the trip very relaxing. Peter caught a fish, a small mouth bass. We bought him a Spiderman fishing rod and a Lightening McQueen life jacket. Peter adores Wil, Lauren's boyfriend. We had plans to do our usual game night, but at 8:30, when I put Peter to bed, somehow I fell asleep alongside of him.

Walnut Springs Farm

We took Peter strawberry picking. I envisioned having to pay for all the berries he would be eating as we picked. It was very anti-climatic for him. However, Jeff picked his little heart out. The berries of course were delicious, right off the vine. Jeff made strawberry jam with many of the berries. Peter liked the strawberry slide. This farm is a U-Pick for raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. We also learned that a member of our church owns the farm. It was a nice evening and so very close to home.

Visit with Julie and Jon

We made it to Pittsburgh in 5 hours. So much for moving to PA to be closer to friends. We arrived late, and woke early to do a walk a thon to support the local parks and recreation program. It was FREEZING! After the walk we went to the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh, we had a blast...I mean Peter had a blast. We found a way home that only took 4 hours, so we will be visiting Julie and Jon again this summer.